Block II: EXPERIMENT AND DISAPPOINTMENT. TWO FILMS BY OMAR AMIRALAY

Six documentary films by Syrian filmmakers chart the development of the country’s film history – from the uprising in the 1970s, through political backlashes to the present day.

Omar Amiralay, the documentarist who died in 2011, is a formative figure in Syrian cinema. At the beginning of his career he open-mindedly tackled the socialist utopia of the Baath Party. Two films about a dam project indicate how his initial hope turned to frustration and disillusionment and he became the voice of criticism.